


Spotlight

by orphan_account



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Beaches, Dancing, Extempore First Date, Fluff, Free-Spirited Mark Lee, Happy Ending, Kissing, Light Angst, Love at First Sight, M/M, Making Out, Misdemeanor, Non-Explicit Sex, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2020-09-01 23:49:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20266552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The air is humid and almost too hot for dancing, it's always prohibited to jump into the fountain, but the kisses taste like Coca Cola and Donghyuck is pretty sure he has found his soulmate.





	1. Almost

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
So, this story was originally a oneshot with an open ending, but I decided to continue it by couple of chapters. ..because I'm too soft for Markhyuck and want to give them a proper happy ending after all :'-]

_Thump, thump, thump._

Donghyuck can feel the bass in his chest. It leaves the stereos, hitting his sternum and then vibrating through his ribcage. The music is way too loud for comfort. But then again, clubs aren’t exactly meant for comfort.

There are people everywhere. Intoxicated bodies dancing like there was no tomorrow, swaying too close to each other on the cramped dance floor. The air is hot and humid, it smells like perfume, smoke and sweat, mixed with the scents of sickeningly sweet cocktails that have been carelessly spilled on the tables.

The flickering of the colorful neon lights makes the room seem a bit surreal, adding to the hazy feeling that is already clouding the minds of the people inside the club. Someone’s constantly bumping into Donghyuck, but they probably don’t even realize it. And if they do, they don’t care about it.

Donghyuck has lost Jaemin and Jeno a while ago already. Jaemin probably saw some beautiful person and went after them. Jeno being the dutiful friend went after Jaemin to see that the youngest of them doesn’t get into trouble. Trouble seems to find Jaemin easily.

And that left Donghyuck alone on the edge of the dance floor. He’s not exactly feeling the whole club-thing tonight. He shouldn’t have come. Donghyuck should have known it would end like this for him. He’s way too sober, there’s constantly sweaty bodies brushing against him, and the air is so stuffy that it’s getting slightly hard to breathe.

Donghyuck is done for the evening. He concludes that he will just try to find his way out of the club and then he'll send Jeno a text that he's going back to the hotel. Donghyuck turns his body to the direction where he thinks the door must be. He starts pushing through the crowd.

And that's when Donghyuck sees him.

There, pretty much in the middle of the room, is a young man dancing. He’s wearing a black tank-top and loose-fitting sand washed jeans, accompanied with worn-out Converse. His jet-black hair is swept off from his forehead and it glistens under the swaying neon lights. His style is so simple and effortless, yet so alluring.

The male’s facial features are distinctive, his dark, round eyes and high cheekbones are real eye-catchers. But what makes Donghyuck stop in his track, is his smile. The black-haired male’s smile is carefree and sparkling with pure bliss. It makes him look almost like he was glowing.

Time to times the young man closes his beautiful eyes, just letting himself get lost to the music and the dance, but the smile on his face stays. He’s dancing alone, but it doesn’t seem to bother him one bit. His movements are fluid and captivating, he’s clearly just dancing his heart out, not caring about the world around him.

He has to be the most beautiful person Donghyuck has ever seen.

But it’s not just the male’s pretty looks that lure Donghyuck closer. It’s more about the exuberant yet slightly unreachable aura that somehow emanates from him. Donghyuck takes careful steps forward in the mass of the people, trying to avoid getting accidentally pushed around.

When the current song comes to an end, so comes the dancing of the black-haired male. He opens his eyes, catching his breath and then his gaze falls right on Donghyuck. They lock eyes and Donghyuck freezes to his spot for a moment. The next song starts playing but the male doesn’t pick up his dancing again. He just looks at Donghyuck, offering him curious eyes and a wide smile. It feels like an invitation to come closer.

So Donghyuck does. He walks through the opening between the people until he’s right in front of the gorgeous male. They are standing way closer to each other than it would normally be socially acceptable with a stranger, but it doesn’t feel awkward. Donghyuck can smell the perfume on the other and it’s a lot sweeter scent than guys usually wear. It makes Donghyuck a little bit crazy. In a best way possible.

The black-haired male studies Donghyuck’s face with his wide eyes for a moment, before he breaks into another smile yet again and then finally says:

“Dance with me”

It’s not like Donghyuck’s going to say no.

Suddenly he forgets everything about not wanting to be in that club anymore. They’re playing some world-famous Latin song, the kind that’s perfect for dancing. Donghyuck glues his eyes on the seductive movements his dance partner does, while simultaneously letting himself get lost to the feeling of dancing freely.

When the male’s hands find their way to Donghyuck’s hips, it sends a shiver of electricity through Donghyuck’s body. The song slows down and Donghyuck wraps his hands on the guy’s nape. They’re so close, practically breathing the same air. Their movements have ceased to just small body rolls and swaying of shoulders and hips now.

When the song ends, Donghyuck slowly detaches himself from the black-haired male, almost reluctantly. He doesn’t want to let him just go now though, so he gathers his courage and asks:

“Can I buy you a drink?”

The guy’s dark eyes sparkle ever so slightly, “I’d love that”

They push their way out of the dance floor and to the bar counter. The music is still loud, but it’s not quite as loud there, as it is on the dance floor. They can now hear each other without having to full on shout. Though it’s not quite quiet enough to have a real conversation.

“What would you like?” Donghyuck asks.

“A Coke would be nice”

Donghyuck raises his eyebrows in surprise. A Coca Cola isn’t quite the first thing you would expect people to order in a club. The guy smiles at him, clearly knowing what Donghyuck is thinking.

“I don’t drink alcohol. It clouds the mind, you know, and I don’t like that”, he tells.

Wow, this beautiful human being is voluntarily in a club like this sober and still having the time of his life. Donghyuck is more and more intrigued.

“I want to be in a best possible state of mind when experiencing things. What’s your name by the way? I’m Mark”, the guy, Mark, says then. Donghyuck finally has a name.

“I’m Donghyuck”, Donghyuck tells over the loud music. Then he turns to the bartender and orders their drinks. Two Coca Colas. Donghyuck doesn't feel like drinking alcohol anymore. Soon he gets two glasses filled with ice cubes and the dark, sugary drink. He hands one of them to Mark who smiles and thanks him. They walk up to one standing table near the bar counter.

“So, Donghyuck, how old are you?”, Mark asks and takes a gulp of his Coke. Donghyuck does not watch how his Adam's apple moves when he swallows.

“I’m twenty. You?”

“Twenty-one. Are you from around here?”

“No, I’m here on vacation with two of my friends. We needed a proper break for a change”, Donghyuck tells between taking long sips from his Coke. He didn’t even realize how thirsty he was. Mark raises his eyebrows at Donghyuck’s answer.

“You’re here with two friends and yet you’re alone in a club?” he wonders.

“Well, you seem to be alone in a club too”, Donghyuck remarks.

“True”, Mark says and grins. Donghyuck wishes he would enlighten him about it, but instead the older just finishes his Coke and takes a step back from the table. Immediately an anxious feeling raises to Donghyuck’s chest. He doesn’t want Mark to leave, he wants to know more about the other.

“It’s getting too hot, loud and stuffy here. You want to go outside?” Mark then asks. He looks at Donghyuck with what could be considered as hopeful eyes. Donghyuck’s heart might just do a small jump.

“Yes. Let’s go”, Donghyuck smiles and downs rest of his drink. They leave the table and battle their way through the mass of sweaty bodies swaying around. When they finally reach the door, Donghyuck sighs in relief thinking that just on the other side of the door, there will be some fresh air.

Donghyuck is used to the fact that when stepping out from clubs or any other buildings, the outside air is usually always colder than the air inside. So when he and Mark step out of the door, it’s a huge disappointment to realize that the outside air is just as hot and humid as it was inside. Maybe Donghyuck, Jeno and Jaemin should have chosen a vacation destination somewhere far more north.

Mark laughs at the disgruntled expression on Donghyuck’s face. Now that Donghyuck’s ears aren’t filled with the too loud music anymore, he’s able to catch Mark’s laugh perfectly. It’s melodious and sounds just plain on happy. It sends small butterflies to Donghyuck’s stomach.

“It takes getting used to”, the older says, “Come on, let’s walk”, he tugs Donghyuck moving. They leave the club behind and set off walking along the dimly lit streets. It’s dark outside, since it’s almost midnight at this point. There’s some music coming from the pubs and restaurants next to the streets, their neon light plaques illuminating the darkness. An occasional passerby walks on the other side of the street, but all in all, it’s relatively quiet.

It would be so nice, but the sweltering air causes Donghyuck’s shirt and pants to cling uncomfortably to his skin. Who the hell came up with the idea that you have to wear long-legged pants to a club in order to look nice? Luckily, at least Mark seems to be affected by the stuffy air as well.

After a moment, the older turns to Donghyuck with a sneaky smile, “I know how we can cool down a bit”

Before Donghyuck has time to ask what Mark means, the older sprints off towards a big fountain that's located in the middle of a small square they have come across. Mark sits down on the edge of the fountain, sends Donghyuck a grin and then swings his legs over the edge and into the water. He drops himself completely into the fountain; the water surface is now reaching to his mid-thigh.

“Isn’t it prohibited to jump into the fountain?” Donghyuck muses as he walks closer, a small smile tugging the corners of his lips.

“Of course it is!” Mark exclaims happily, an innocent grin on his face, “You coming?”

Again, it’s not like Donghyuck could say no to him. He looks at the older, who’s eyes are shining with hidden mischief, while he’s running his hands over the water surface. Donghyuck just met Mark, but he’s pretty sure he would jump off a cliff if the other asked him to.

Donghyuck takes his phone out of his pocket and places it on the edge of the fountain. Then he mirrors the way Mark entered the fountain and pretty soon his legs are sinking into the cold water. It feels so good. The water wets through his shoes and pants, the coldness of it immediately cooling his body down.

“There’s a lot of coins here”, Mark says and bends down to grab a handful of pennies from the bottom of the fountain. Oh, that’s right, it’s a wishing fountain. Donghyuck can feel the unevenness of the bottom under his feet, caused by the piles of coins.

“We would be rich if we took all of these”, the older then muses, turning the coins around on his hands, watching them intently as they reflect the illumination coming from the streetlights on the edge of the square.

“Are you seriously going to steal other people’s wishes?” Donghyuck deadpans.

Mark laughs loudly and drops the coins back to the fountain, “I don’t know if I believe in that stuff, but no, I wouldn’t do that. Even if other people’s wishes could get me a new phone or something...”, he says, eyes crinkling with amusement.

Donghyuck smiles and shakes his head a little. Then without even thinking about it, he suddenly swings his hand and splashes some water on Mark, wetting his face and the front of his shirt. The older looks at him stunned for moment, before regaining his composure.

“Oh, you’re on!” Mark splashes water with his both hands, immediately getting Donghyuck all wet from his upper torso. Donghyuck lets out a shriek as the cold water comes in contact with the hot skin on his chest and throat. But he doesn’t dwell on it too long, instead choosing to retaliate right away.

Their laughter rings through the quiet night, accompanied by the sounds of water splashing around, as they’re having a war in the fountain. Donghyuck knows this isn’t exactly something two grown-up men should be doing, but he couldn’t care less. He’s having so much fun and now he isn’t so hot anymore.

But their fun comes to an end a moment later. Suddenly a car pulls up next to the square and some sort of security guard, dressed in uniform and all, steps out.

“Hey, no going into the fountain!” the guy yells with a loud, commanding voice. He starts walking towards the fountain with briskly steps.

“Oh, shit”, Mark hisses and then tugs Donghyuck moving again, “Let’s go. I’m not paying a fine for this”, they scramble to the edge of the fountain and then jump out of it. Donghyuck quickly grabs his phone and then they’re running.

Mark takes Donghyuck’s hand in his as they run from the guard. They’re both dripping water, it's slowing them down a bit, but not enough for the guard to catch them. They disappear to the small, dark alleyways between the tall buildings. Donghyuck keeps a strong grip of Mark’s hand.

When they’re both out of breath and sure that the guard gave up a long time ago already, they cease running and come to a stop. It’s a couple heartbeats of silence as both of them catch their breaths. After that, they both burst out laughing. The night took a quite surprising turn.

Donghyuck realizes that he’s still holding Mark’s hand even if they’re now just standing still. He looks at their hands and then he lifts his gaze to meet with Mark’s. The older is again looking at him with those wide, curious eyes, that despite being dark, always seem to sparkle a little.

_This is crazy but fuck it._

Donghyuck takes a step closer to Mark, lifts his free hand on the older’s nape and then pulls him to a kiss. Mark’s eyes flutter close as their lips meet. It’s not much more than a slightly long peck, but it sends another patch of butterflies to Donghyuck’s stomach. This time they’re just a tad bigger.

They break the kiss, both smiling stupidly but not really knowing if they should somehow address this. So instead they just set off walking slowly, hand in hand, along the streets. Donghyuck is unconsciously leading them towards his hotel.

They talk about their lives, their now hushed voices barely cutting through the silence that has fallen upon the usually busy city. Mark tells how he grew up in Canada but decided a few years ago that he wants something completely different, so he packed his bags and moved to this city, far away from everything and everyone he knows. He works as a surf instructor on one of the endless number of beaches that this coast city has. Donghyuck doesn’t catch which beach.

Donghyuck also tells about his life, how he’s working in a record store instead of going to school like his parents would want him to. How he’s currently sharing his apartment with this Chinese exchange student who may or may not have a huge crush on Jeno. How he’s saved up a ton of money to be able to go on this vacation.

Donghyuck thinks Mark is unbelievably easy to talk to. He also finds the older a really captivating person. Mark’s so immediate, always answering his questions truthfully and quickly, but the same time his answers leave so much for Donghyuck to wonder about, he’s not quite keeping up with the older.

The same time Mark feels like someone Donghyuck has always known but also like someone who’s a slight mystery that Donghyuck wants to solve. Mark is different than anyone Donghyuck has ever met before. Donghyuck has never felt like this about anybody before, especially this quickly. He feels like there’s an instant, strong connection, certain kind of sparkle and a new type of feeling of being free and careless.

Donghyuck has always liked the idea of soulmates.

  
They slow down their already slow walking pace as Donghyuck’s hotel comes in sight. Mark must sense from Donghyuck's body language that it’s the younger’s hotel. Their conversation ceases to a comfortable silence as they walk in front of the building.

They come to a stop but Donghyuck doesn’t want to let go of Mark’s hand he’s been holding onto the whole walk. Mark doesn’t seem to want that either. This time it’s him who steps into Donghyuck’s personal space. Mark lifts his free hand on Donghyuck’s cheek, tracing his thumb lightly over the younger’s bottom lip. Then he leans closer and captures Donghyuck’s lips to another kiss. A little more proper one this time.

When they pull apart, Donghyuck throws his insecurities away for once, and he whispers to Mark:

“Come inside?”

Mark kisses Donghyuck again and then he nods, whispering almost an inaudible ‘yeah’. His eyes are slightly darker than before and it flips Donghyuck’s stomach around in anticipation. They enter the hotel and find their way to Donghyuck’s hotel room. The younger fumbles with his keycard for a moment and then manages to open the door.

When the door clicks shut behind them, it’s like the already hot air in the room gets even hotter. In a matter of seconds, Donghyuck has his back against the door and Mark is flush against him. Their kisses start innocent but soon become deeper with more tongue and more pressure. Donghyuck grips the damp hair at the back of Mark’s head tightly, earning a satisfied sigh from the older.

Donghyuck runs his tongue in Mark’s mouth. He’s still able to taste hints of the Coca Cola the older drank earlier in the evening. The sweetness of it, mixed with the sweetness that has to be Mark’s natural taste, makes the younger a little lightheaded.

Mark leaves a trail of kisses to Donghyuck’s jaw and the side of his neck before biting down to the soft skin above his collarbone. Donghyuck’s hands drop down from Mark’s hair and find their way on the older’s sides. Donghyuck slips his hands under Mark’s shirt, pressing his fingers to the skin below his waist. The older shivers ever so slightly.

Donghyuck captures Mark’s lips to another messy kiss, before he pushes the older away from him enough to be able to detach himself from the door and enter the hotel room properly. He grips the hem of Mark’s shirt and with a swift move he removes it from the older, revealing the lean torso underneath it. Then he removes his own shirt, almost shivering under the intent gaze of the older.

They stumble towards the bed, sharing kisses while simultaneously leaving a trail of shoes, pants and socks on the floor. The white, soft sheets on the bed wrinkle immediately, getting dirtied by their sweaty, fountain-water covered skins and later on with other fluids.

The room is filled with heavy breaths and distinctive sounds that Donghyuck and Mark can only hope won’t be heard in the rooms next to theirs. It’s filled with pleasure and certain kind of short-term euphoria that you’d wish would last longer. It’s filled with everything they could ask for an amazing night.

  
~~~~~

  
Donghyuck wakes up what has to be only couple hours after he and Mark had fallen asleep. Faint rays of sunshine are peeking through the small gap between the messily closed curtains. It gives Donghyuck enough light to see around the hotel room.

Mark isn’t lying next to him anymore. He isn’t in the room and it is so dead silent that he can’t be in the bathroom either. Donghyuck raises to a sitting position and is able to see that Mark’s clothes have been picked up from the floor. He looks around and that’s when he notices the piece of white paper on the nightstand next to the bed, on the side of it where Mark had fallen asleep.

Donghyuck reaches to pick up the paper. It is folded from the middle, so Donghyuck opens it. He’s met with a rather messy, yet still readable handwriting.

  
**_To, Donghyuck_ **  
** _Thank you for the amazing evening and night. I really had the time of my life and I’m sorry to leave like this. Just know, that meeting you almost made me want to believe in soulmates and in love at first sight._ **  
** _-Mark_ **

  
Donghyuck reads the letter over and over again, going through every word. Then he eventually lets out a shaky breath.

_Almost_.

That’s the keyword of the letter. If it wasn’t for that word, maybe Mark would have stayed. Or at least left his phone number or something that Donghyuck could contact him with.

Donghyuck gets up from the bed and walks up to the window. He opens the curtains. Then he looks at the letter again.

He could let this crush him completely.

But he decides not to.

Donghyuck looks out of the window. The city is slowly waking up to a new day. Shop owners are opening their shops and bakeries, mailmen are delivering the morning papers and some early birds are jogging already. The sun is steadily making its way higher on the sky, casting the golden beams down on the city.

Mark can’t have left too long ago. So he’s probably walking somewhere on those streets, going to wherever he came from.

Donghyuck decides that this isn’t going to be the last time he sees Mark.

They will meet again, and Donghyuck will change that _almost_ to _certainly_.


	2. Maybe

_I want to see Mark again._

Donghyuck tosses a coin to the wishing fountain. Maybe his wish is pathetic, but he doesn’t really care. Yes, he just met Mark and spent only one night with him, but Donghyuck knows there was something there. Something _real_.

The fountain and the square around it look and feel different now in broad daylight than they did the previous night. There are people everywhere; tourists are circling the fountain, taking photos of themselves and each other, making wishes and just enjoying the hot summer day. Locals are selling souvenirs at the stalls on the edge of the square, and walking around looking borderline annoyed, trying to hurry past the dawdling masses of tourists.

The place is bustling with life yet for Donghyuck it feels empty somehow. He’s missing the radiant presence of a certain fascinating person who got him to jump into a fountain and run from a security guard. Last night it was like this place was only his and Mark’s for a moment.

Donghyuck sighs. Maybe he’s being too pathetic after all. Donghyuck leans his legs against the edge of the fountain and reaches to run his fingers on the surface of the water. The familiar coldness of it hits his skin, feeling cooling and comforting as he sways his hands a bit, creating tiny waves in the process.

Donghyuck’s train of thoughts is interrupted by Jaemin and Jeno who suddenly appear next to him. The two had gone to a convenience store to buy some water bottles. Donghyuck gladly accepts one and downs half of it immediately. It isn’t quite as hot today, as it was yesterday but it’s still way too hot in Donghyuck’s opinion.

The three of them have spent the day by roaming around the city to see some free attractions, this fountain being the last one on Jaemin’s list. It’s already far into the afternoon, but they’re decided to still head to the beach after this. It’s a few hours before it starts to get dark, so they still have time.

The beach they’re going to is a little further away from their hotel than the one they visited a few days ago. But the boys want to see as many different places as possible, so they’re not minding the longer walk.

Donghyuck steps off the pavement and into the sand of the beach. His flip-flops do a terrible job at keeping the sand from coming in contact with the skin on his feet. The sun has been warming the sand the whole day and now it’s almost burning hot. Donghyuck hisses through the first twenty steps he takes, but then he starts to gradually get used to the hotness.

They head towards the other side of the beach, where there aren’t quite as many people occupying every inch of the sand. Donghyuck looks around. The ocean is glimmering in turquoise color, its rather high waves are hitting the shore in constant pace. People are swimming near the waterfront, some trying to jump over the waves, some letting the waves carry them along. Further away on the sea can be seen some surfers catching the waves and riding them. The air smells distinctively like a mix of salty sea water, sunscreen and wet sand.

Donghyuck removes his shoes and shirt, sets his towel on the sand and then plops down onto it. He looks at the surfers on the sea and for a moment, he entertains himself with a thought that maybe this is the beach where Mark works as a surf instructor or one where he goes to surf on his free time. Apparently, teaching surfing is nothing compared to doing the activity properly himself, so Mark also finds time to go on the beach and surf on his free time.

Jeno and Jaemin head to the water, but Donghyuck opts to just first lie under the sun. They’ve been walking the whole day already so he’s up for some proper lazing around. Donghyuck lowers himself from sitting position to lie on his towel. He closes his eyes, shutting the world out of his sight, but not from his hearing. He listens to the water splashing, screams of joy from children, faint music coming from someone’s portable speaker and the general buzzing going on around him.

At some point Donghyuck must have tuned out completely, because when Jeno and Jaemin suddenly plop down next to him, he startles. Donghyuck raises back to sitting and blinks at the bright light after opening his eyes. He realizes that Jaemin is looking at him with an enthusiastic expression on his face. Donghyuck raises his eyebrows.

“You know, I've been keeping an eye for a while and I’m completely positive that, that surf instructor or what ever over there”, Jaemin starts and points somewhere to Donghyuck’s right, “is looking at you constantly. He’s trying to put those surfboards back to the cabin, but his gaze is just wandering at you instead”, Jaemin is grinning widely now.

Donghyuck, feeling confused of the sudden observation by Jaemin, turns to look at where the younger was pointing just a few seconds ago. His gaze falls first onto the cabin Jaemin just mentioned and then to the person standing next to it. He’s wearing a red shirt made of wetsuit type of material and some black board shorts. He doesn’t have shoes or a hat on and his jet-black hair is gleaming under the bright sunlight. Donghyuck’s eyes widen when he finally looks at the person’s face.

If this isn’t fate, Donghyuck doesn’t know what is.

He meets Mark’s eyes and there’s an unreadable expression on the older’s face. But after a few seconds, it melts to a shy smile and Mark gives him a quick wave. Donghyuck’s insides are slightly burning.

“Do you know him?” this time it’s Jeno who speaks up.

“You could say so”, Donghyuck mumbles and watches as Mark continues to carry the surfboards he has on the ground, to the cabin that must be their equipment storage.

If Jeno’s and Jaemin’s expressions are anything to go by, they’re expecting an explanation. Donghyuck doesn’t blame them. He hasn’t tried to keep last night’s experiences as a secret, but he also hasn’t found a good moment to let his friends know that he thinks he found his soulmate and spent a night with him, only to find out his soulmate doesn’t feel quite the same way. How do you even bring up something like that?

Well, at least he now has a perfect moment. While simultaneously keeping an eye at Mark, Donghyuck starts to tell about their first encounter. How it started from the club, what happened in between and how it ended in his hotel room.

“Donghyuck, there is no way he doesn’t feel the same way as you!” Jaemin exclaims at the same second when Donghyuck has finished his story, “If he didn’t, he would have just left without leaving any notes or he would have left a note like ‘cool night bro, see you around’. You don’t go writing about soulmates and love at first sight if you don’t think you have just encountered those things!”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with Jaemin”, Jeno starts. Jaemin gives him an unamused look, “And right now, if he didn’t like you, he would have just quickly left when he saw you lying here. But instead he kept staring at you, clearly waiting for you to notice him”, Jeno continues, “I think he’s just overwhelmed by this. You need to go there and show him that you’re serious about this and that there’s nothing to be afraid of”

The things Jaemin and Jeno are saying are exactly what Donghyuck’s been thinking. But it’s still good and encouraging to hear them from other people’s mouths. Donghyuck gets up from the ground and starts walking towards Mark, who seems to have finished putting the surfboards away.

Donghyuck’s heart is beating faster by every step he takes closer. Maybe there’s nothing for Mark to be afraid of, but right now Donghyuck feels like for him, there’s everything to be afraid of. What if, despite everything, Mark doesn’t want to see him after all? What if the older never meant anything that happened last night? What if he thinks that it was all a huge mistake and now he’s just going to crush Donghyuck’s heart?

Donghyuck knows there shouldn’t be any hearts involved and under the danger of being crushed in the first place, since, let’s face it, they hardly know each other. But none of this makes any sense anyway and Donghyuck would like to think that maybe these kinds of things don’t always have to make sense.

He walks up to Mark, who’s now looking at him with those wide eyes of his again. Donghyuck feels a strong sense of déjà vu when he stops in front of the older. Mark looks a bit nervous, which is a new demeanor for him in Donghyuck’s books, but there’s a small but a happy smile on his lips.

“Hey”, Donghyuck says. He can’t help it when a smile forms on his lips as he looks at the older.

“Hi”, Mark answers. The atmosphere isn’t exactly awkward, but it’s fragile in a way.

“So, this is where you work at?” Donghyuck asks then.

“Yep. I just finished my shift. I was thinking to still go surfing for a bit. Have you ever tried?”

“No, I haven’t”

“Do you wanna try? I could teach you”, a fire of excitement sparks in Mark’s eyes. Donghyuck tears his eyes away from the older and looks at the surfboard that’s leaning against the wall of the cabin. It must be Mark’s surfboard. It looks huge and heavy.

“No, not really”, Donghyuck answers truthfully and grimaces, “I would most likely just fall of the board, get run over by it and drown”

Mark laughs, “I can assure you that wouldn’t happen, but I get it if you don’t want to try. It isn’t the easiest sport”

“Yeah... But I would love to see you surf though”, Donghyuck says then, almost feigning nonchalance but there’s an evident hope in his voice and eyes. Maybe Mark would like to show him his talent.

“Really?” Mark’s eyes light up with excitement again. Donghyuck nods. The tension hanging in the air starts to disappear as Mark walks to fetch his surfboard. The older’s nervousness seems to disappear as well and Donghyuck is met again with the bubbly personality he got to know yesterday. Mark skips back to him and grabs Donghyuck’s hand in his with the hand that isn't carrying the surfboard.

“I’d love to show you”, Mark says and pulls Donghyuck with him to walk closer to the water. Donghyuck tries to fight against the butterflies that are again threatening to fill his stomach as he looks at his hand that’s now suddenly holding Mark’s.

Mark’s hold of him break as they reach the water. The older walks quickly to the waves, now carrying the board with his both hands, before placing it on the water surface. Donghyuck walks to the water as well, trying to get used to the coolness of it as the waves hit him, wetting him more and more by every step he takes, as the water gets deeper.

Donghyuck stays on his place when the water surface is reaching around his waist. He looks at Mark who is paddling on his board to go to the deeper waters, where the waves are higher as well. When he’s far enough, he turns his board around a bit and then jumps to stand on it, catching the first wave.

It’s impressive to say the least. At least in Donghyuck’s opinion. How Mark’s riding the waves, keeping his balance on the board while it’s moving with a fast speed. How he’s occasionally making swift turns to keep himself from falling over and even doing a few aerials in the process. Donghyuck never thought it could be so captivating to watch someone surf.

After a while, Mark stops the surfing, setting himself to just lay on the board and let the waves bring him closer to the shore. Donghyuck’s lips turn into a wide smile as he watches Mark floating closer. When the older reaches Donghyuck, he jumps off the board, but still keeps a hold of it so that it doesn’t run away with the waves.

“How was it?” Mark asks.

“Amazing and impressing”, Donghyuck answers immediately, “You were amazing”

Donghyuck could be imagining, but it’s almost like a slight pink hue was appearing on Mark’s cheeks, “Thanks”, the older says, smiling while biting down onto his lower lip for a second.

“You know”, he then continues, “I think I owe you a drink. You want to go get one with me? There’s a nice beach bar in there”, Mark points towards the beach, where there’s indeed a beach bar standing on the sand.

“Yeah”, Donghyuck breathes out, his heart fluttering a little. They get out of the water. Mark goes to put his surfboard into the cabin and to change some dry clothes on himself. Donghyuck dries himself, puts his shirt on, and changes his board shorts to the denim ones he has in his backpack. Donghyuck realizes Jaemin and Jeno have left the beach, leaving him behind, but he can’t even act like he cares about that right now, to be honest.

It doesn’t take for long for Mark to jog up to him. When the older stops in front of Donghyuck, he reaches his hand to the younger’s hair and brushes few of the tangled strands with his fingers. Just like that. Then he offers Donghyuck a bright smile and takes the younger’s hand, starting to lead them to the beach bar.

Donghyuck wonders if his heart will just combust at some point. First Mark is all nervous, biting his lips and everything and the next moment he’s entering Donghyuck’s personal space, surprising him with all these sweet gestures that make Donghyuck’s stomach flip around. Donghyuck seriously isn’t keeping up with the older. But he’s still loving every second of this.

But he also wonders if he should bring up what happened last night, and especially the letter and what it said. Though he can’t help but to feel that the reason why Mark relaxed in the first place, was because Donghyuck didn’t bring the subject up, but instead they pretty much continued like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Donghyuck decides he’s just going to go with the flow for now. The plan was, after all, to hopefully make Mark see how they could be great together, not to scare the older away.

“What can I order for you?” Mark asks when they step into the bar area. It’s a terrace, with a roof held up by some pillars. There’s the bar counter and then some high tables and stools in neat lines. The roof is decorated with a fairy lights that will be light when the sun starts to set and the darkness take the lead.

“A Coke would be nice”, Donghyuck answers with an innocent grin dancing on his lips. Mark’s eyes sparkle in amusement at the replication of his words from the previous evening. He winks at Donghyuck and then turns to the counter to make their orders. Donghyuck goes to get them a table. He hops on the stool in front of a small, round table, that’s quite perfectly sized for two people.

Somehow Donghyuck isn’t surprised to see that Mark got himself a Coke too. The older hands Donghyuck his drink and then sits on the stool on the other side of the table. But the table is so small that they’re still quite close to each other.

“You should tell me more about yourself”, Mark says.

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything”, the older says smiling. Something about his voice and the intent look in his eyes tell Donghyuck that he isn’t kidding.

So Donghyuck tells. Though he makes sure that he isn’t the only one talking. Yesterday they already shared things about their lives like their occupations, where they’ve lived, about their friends and families and such. Now they start with much simpler things. Like favorite foods and colors, likes and dislikes when it comes to music and movies, places they would want to visit. From there it gradually progresses to deeper topics.

Mark actually listens to everything Donghyuck tells. It is a luxury Donghyuck isn’t quite used to when talking with his friends or family members. They’re always easily distracted by their own thoughts or something else. Don’t get him wrong, he loves his friends and family but it’s a nice change to get someone’s undivided attention for once.

Donghyuck doesn’t even realize how the time is flying. He only notices that the sun has set when the fairy lights in the beach bar get turned on. They cast dim, warm light down on the terrace, making the atmosphere a bit more intimate in a mere of seconds. The enthusiastic chattering and buzzing in the bar from earlier, have now ceased to hushed voices and comfortable one-on-one discussions between people.

Donghyuck loves how easily Mark laughs at his jokes and at the way he’s telling his stories. The older’s eyes constantly twinkle with joy and he occasionally throws some witty remarks at Donghyuck. Mark is sweet and kind, but he doesn’t miss any opportunities to tease the younger a bit.

Donghyuck is pretty much enamored with him at this point.

Donghyuck has finished his Coca Cola a long time ago, but Mark still has some of it on the bottom of his glass, accompanied by the melting ice cubes. The drink has to taste like water at this point. But the older is still going to drink it. He lifts the glass on his lips and downs the drink.

After swallowing, he suddenly motions Donghyuck to lean closer to him over the table. Donghyuck complies with a questioning look on his face. Mark also leans closer and he is either going to whisper something to Donghyuck, or kiss him. Donghyuck isn’t sure which one he hopes it to be more.

His wonders are answered in a moment, when Mark presses his lips on the younger’s. It’s just that, lips pressed on lips for a second or two, but then Mark lightly swipes his tongue over Donghyuck’s lower lip. The younger instinctively opens his mouth a bit.

That’s when Donghyuck feels something really cold first against his parted lips and then a second later in his mouth. Mark detaches himself from Donghyuck but then leans to give another peck to him, before pulling away properly. There’s a mischievous smile planted on his face.

Mark just pushed an ice cube from his mouth to Donghyuck’s mouth.

Donghyuck stares at him, eyes wide with surprise and a little bit of shock. The ice cube is melting in his mouth and there’s an evident blush creeping up his neck and cheeks. Mark laughs and gets up from his seat. He throws another wink at Donghyuck and then proceeds to leave the terrace, a small skip on his steps.

Donghyuck sits there for a minute, a part of him is feeling borderline mortified, but a lot bigger part of him is absolutely loving what just happened. After a moment he gets up an goes after Mark, who’s now walking on the sand already, heading towards the waterfront.

The sun has already completely set and it’s dark now. But the general light pollution of the city makes it possible to see around. There aren’t many people on the beach anymore, save for the beach bars, because it’s not exactly allowed to be swimming when it’s dark. Especially since the currents tend to be harder during the nights.

“You can’t just do something like that all of a sudden!” Donghyuck exclaims at Mark, faking annoyance in his voice, while running to catch up with the older. Mark turns to look at him, now taking steps backwards.

“Oh, come on, don’t act like you didn’t like it! You loved it!” he exclaims back. There’s a wide, joyful grin on his face.

Donghyuck catches up with Mark and immediately throws his hands behind the older’s nape, “You’re right, I did”, he admits whispering, and then he pulls Mark to a proper kiss.

Mark responds to the kiss, pressing their lips harder together, but it’s still a slow paced one. He kisses Donghyuck like he had waited a long time to do so. His hands find their way on Donghyuck’s waist, pressing them there almost possessively. Donghyuck can’t help it when it makes him smile to the kiss.

Mark tastes the same as the last time, sweetness mixed with another sweetness. Donghyuck is pretty sure he will from here on always associate the taste of Coca Cola with kissing Mark.

They have to break the kiss for a moment to catch their breaths. Mark pulls Donghyuck down to sit on the sand with him. Donghyuck is feeling bold so he moves to straddle Mark’s lap. He lifts Mark’s jaw up a bit with his finger and then leans to kiss the older again.

They make out for a long time. There’s a fleeting thought in Donghyuck’s mind that they’re probably going to get called by another security guard soon, this time for shameless displays of affection in a public place. He doesn’t give it a much thought, though, since he has a much more interesting things at hand.

At some point Mark and Donghyuck stop the kissing and just look at each other.

Donghyuck really looks at Mark. The older’s lips are swollen and his hair is messy. There’s the irresistible twinkle in his eyes, and the playful aura still emanates from him. Donghyuck looks at him and he just _knows_.

He wants this. He wants to keep getting to know this person. He wants to know everything about him. He wants to spend time with him, be able to kiss him, and do other things with him. He wants Mark.

Maybe it is crazy and doesn’t make much sense, but Donghyuck just knows that they are meant for each other.

Looking at Mark’s expression, for a moment, it seems like the older knows it too. His eyes are wide with wonder, there being also hints of vulnerability and pure happiness hidden in there. He looks at Donghyuck for a long time.

But then suddenly, his expression starts to change. A guarded look is taking place in his eyes and on his face, “It’s getting late”, he then says, turning his gaze away from Donghyuck.

Donghyuck, confused by the sudden change in the mood, moves so that he’s not sitting on Mark’s legs anymore.

“I should really be going, it takes time to get to my apartment from here and I should sleep since I have to come to work early tomorrow...”, the older starts to ramble quietly as he makes his way up from the ground.

Donghyuck had somehow completely forgotten about the letter and how Mark had just vanished on him the previous night. The rejected feeling comes now back with double force as he has to witness Mark putting his guards up and shutting Donghyuck out in person.

Donghyuck doesn’t understand what is happening. He scrambles to his feet a few seconds after Mark has done the same thing. The older is suddenly fidgety and he looks at Donghyuck with distressed eyes.

“I... I’m gonna go now. Thanks for today, I had a really nice time. It’s just... I’m sorry”, the older chokes out and then he turns and runs away.

Donghyuck looks after him, not comprehending the situation at all. Mark really seemed like he was on the same page with Donghyuck. But now he, again, just suddenly disappeared on the younger. And Donghyuck realizes he did it without still giving any of his contact information to Donghyuck.

But at least Donghyuck knows where Mark works, so he can actually find him.

Donghyuck will get to the bottom of this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Donghyuck just can't take the hint.. No but jokes aside, thank you for reading! I really hope you liked it enough to come back to read the last chapter when I manage to write and post it! <3


	3. Certainly

Donghyuck wakes up to the sound of heavy raindrops hitting the window.

He gets out of bed, walks to the window and draws the curtains open. It’s pouring rain. The sky Donghyuck’s gotten used to seeing bright blue, is now covered with huge, dark storm clouds that recklessly release the water. The usually warm and lively overall view has turned into gray and gloomy.

Donghyuck can’t say that he’s surprised. It’s been sunny and hot for a long time now, so it was bound to rain sooner or later. He’s not disappointed that it’s raining, not per se, but it does set a certain kind of weight in the pit of his stomach.

Because he knows it’ll be useless to go to the beach in hopes to see Mark. The older won’t be there. No one is surfing when the weather is like this.

And yet Donghyuck soon finds himself walking towards the beach. He’s clutching an umbrella with the both of his hands, trying to keep his upper torso from wetting in the rain that seems to fall almost in diagonal direction due to the wind. The streets are flooding with water and Donghyuck’s sneakers get soaked in the matter of seconds, leaving squeaky sounds behind as he makes his way on the pavement.

Donghyuck needs to see Mark. He needs to know if Mark really doesn’t want him or if there’s another reason for his behavior. And Donghyuck knows his own behavior right now might be a little invasive, but he can’t just let it be and eventually go home, left forever wondering 'what ifs' and 'what could have beens'.

There are considerably less people on the streets today than there was yesterday. Most of them are clearly tourists who are making their way to somewhere, probably to museums and shopping centers where they’re safe from the rain. All the boutiques, bakeries and coffee shops have now settled for ‘open’ signs on their shut front doors, instead of the usual of keeping the doors widely open, welcoming customers to come in.

The beach is completely empty. It’s a drastic change from the previous day. Donghyuck steps onto the wet sand that gives in under his feet. He walks closer to the waterfront, looking at the ocean that is now dark-colored and restless, reflecting the stormy sky.

It’s stupid, but Donghyuck finds himself disappointed. He guesses that there was a small part of him that somehow despite the circumstances believed that Mark would at the beach anyway. But there’s no one anywhere. Just endless amount of sand now void of anyone occupying it.

Donghyuck catches up with Jaemin and Jeno on his way back to the hotel. They decide to visit the art museum on account of the rainy day. The museum is huge and they spend hours going through it. Donghyuck looks at the impressive paintings and the confusing sculptures, trying to concentrate on them, but more than one occasion he catches his mind being someplace else instead.

It rains when they come out of the museum, it rains when they go to a restaurant to eat dinner, it rains when they come back to the hotel and it rains when Donghyuck closes his eyes, waiting to fall asleep. If it continues like this, maybe the city will be washed away by the time the morning comes.

  
~~~~~

  
Somehow the city is still there the next morning, despite the fact that it’s still pouring rain.

The wind has picked up its speed even more and the air is oppressive in addition to being as warm as ever. The storm clouds on the sky are bigger and darker, now looking ominous in every way. A thunderstorm has to be on its way.

Donghyuck walks along the same streets again, the ones that have become very familiar to him during the last few days. The water on the pavement splashes under his steps, and the rain hits his umbrella in a rabid force like trying to urge Donghyuck to relinquish his only shelter.

When the beach comes to his sight, Donghyuck thinks that he must be an idealist. Or just plain stupid. Either works fine. He walks closer and eventually steps onto that wet, dark sand again.

But when Donghyuck looks up and spots a big, bright red umbrella on the other side of the beach, near the waterfront, he thinks that maybe it isn't so bad to be an idealist after all. The red umbrella is like a color spotlight in the middle of all the current grayness.

Donghyuck starts walking towards it. Rationally thinking, it could be literally anybody sitting under that umbrella. But somehow Donghyuck knows it’s not just anyone, but a someone. Someone important.

The wetness of the sands starts seeping through Donghyuck’s pants immediately when he sits down on the ground. But he hardly even notices it. He doesn’t sit right next to Mark, but a little further away so that he can keep their umbrellas from knocking against each other. Mark moves his gaze to Donghyuck for a moment, offering the younger a small, careful smile, before looking back at the raging ocean in front of them again.

The high waves are breaking and surging as they reach the shallower waters, eventually crashing on the shore with a loud rush. That, accompanied by the pitter-patter of the rain hitting their umbrellas and the first rumbles of thunder on the sky, together make quite a noise on the otherwise quiet beach.

“The weather forecast promised that it would stop raining by tomorrow morning”, Mark says all of sudden, “But I still won’t have to come to work for the next three days. Did you know that you should avoid surfing and swimming in the ocean for at least for the next 72 hours after a heavy rainfall?”

Donghyuck shakes his head. It's not the kind of thing he would usually have to think about.

“Yeah, especially in places like this where the high-density residential areas are right by the coastline, the water pollution levels increase a great deal after a downpour. You will be more likely to get infections and diseases from the water”, the older tells.

Donghyuck hums, taking in the new information, before saying:

“So, you won’t have to come to work for five days and here you are already on the second one. Do you already miss the ocean so much?”

“No”, Mark answers smiling, a hint of amusement flashing through his features, “I was actually hoping to see you”

_You could have come to find me from the hotel_, is the first thought that pops into Donghyuck’s mind. But at this point, Donghyuck has already realized that the older doesn’t always seem to do things the most traditional way. And that’s one of the reasons why Donghyuck is so drawn to him.

“I guess I owe you an explanation”, Mark then sighs, the smile slipping off his face and getting replaced by a nervous demeanor. If they’re being completely realistic here, Mark doesn’t actually _owe_ Donghyuck anything. But the thing Donghyuck still most wants, is an explanation and hopefully some sort of conclusion to a direction or another.

Mark is quiet for a moment, clearly contemplating how to say whatever it is that he wants so say. Then he lets out a small sigh, before opening his mouth:

“You know, Donghyuck, I’m not a superstitious person in any way. I don’t believe in that kind of hooey stuff. I don’t believe that you get a wish when you throw a coin to a fountain, let alone that the wish could ever come true. And I have never believed in soulmates or in love at first sight”

Mark keeps another short pause.

“But then I met you. And I don’t even know how to explain it... I have never met anyone like you before. I didn’t lie in that letter, I really had the best time of my life that night. And for a moment I really wanted to believe in that stuff, soulmates and such.

But anyway, I couldn’t stay, so I left and thought that would be the end of it. That we would both just be left with some nice memories, you would go back to your home country and I could eventually forget those feelings I had that made absolutely no sense.

But then we met again. And it was... I realized that I don’t have to believe in any kind of hooey stuff to know that there was something real there. Something that could become life-changing if I let it. But...”, Mark wanders off, leaving the most important part unsaid.

“But...?” Donghyuck urges carefully. He can see how uncomfortable the older is, but they are now only coming to the reason why Mark is holding himself back and pushing Donghyuck away.

“It scares the hell out of me”, Mark then suddenly blurts out.

Donghyuck’s eyebrows shoot up. He doesn’t really know how to react to that yet, he needs some more information.

“Donghyuck, I have never been in a relationship before”, Mark breathes out and turns his face away from the younger, “And to be honest, the idea of it kinda terrifies me”

Donghyuck can’t say that he’s not surprised. Mark is gorgeous, you would think there’s was line of people waiting to court him. But then again, if his last phrase is anything to go by, the problem doesn’t exactly seem to lie there.

“I have never met anybody I would want to pursue anything with before. But now that I've met you, spent time with you... When I look at you and see the way you look at me, I can actually finally feel and see it; how this could be it, how we could have a life together... And that’s the moment when the panic sets in.

Donghyuck, I have been alone and done things on my own as long as I can remember. I have never really learned how to rely on other people in any way. And if we were to be a pair, I would have to really put my trust in you and truly let you in... And I’m not sure I know how to be able to do that”, Mark finally confesses the real reason, his voice slightly too quiet in the noisy storm. The older keeps flickering his gaze between the ground and the reckless waves, not meeting Donghyuck’s eyes at all.

Donghyuck sits motionless for some time, just letting Mark’s words sink in.

He realizes that he doesn’t understand how deep these feelings and paradigms go for Mark, but he’s ready to find out. And despite not knowing yet, he’s still already completely positive that they can be worked on. They both just have to have will for it. Donghyuck knows he has, he’s not going to just give up on this. Now he has to know if Mark has too.

Donghyuck shuts his umbrella, putting it next to him on the ground. The rain starts wetting him immediately, but he quickly moves closer to Mark and under the older’s umbrella. He crawls right in front of Mark and then carefully reaches his hand to take a soft hold of Mark's jaw, turning the older’s face to look at him. He’s met with unsure, slightly scared eyes.

“Mark, I know that any of this-”, Donghyuck motions between them with his free hand, “doesn’t really make sense. And I understand that you’re scared. But I still want to try this out. Like you said, there’s something real here, and I don’t want to just let it go. If you put all those other things aside for a moment and just think about us-”, Donghyuck keeps an eye contact with Mark, “do you _want_ to try make this work?”

Mark is quiet for a long time, but then finally says, “I don’t think I would be here telling you all of this if I didn’t”, the look in his eyes is stronger and surer now and hope starts blooming in Donghyuck’s chest immediately. But then Mark turns his gaze to the side again and bites down to his lip.

“But I don’t know if there’s any point. Donghyuck, you live in another country and will be leaving in a few days”, the older then reminds. Donghyuck feels a small twist in his heart. It’s been so easy to forget that fact. But it’s just another bump on the road, not a blockade.

“True. But you left your home country and moved here on a whim. Who says I can’t do that too?” Donghyuck then says, a small smile lingering to his lips.

Mark looks at him with wide eyes now, “You are absolutely crazy”

“Maybe. But I'm pretty sure you’re a bit crazy too. So, just be crazy with me?” Donghyuck says with hope written all over his features. Mark doesn't look completely convinced but there's a small smile tugging the corners of his lips.

They both know this is all absolutely crazy. Here they are, two young men from different countries, one idealistic closet-romantic and the other slightly emotionally unreachable daredevil, being pretty sure that they are meant for each other, despite knowing each other so far only for a few days.

Their bases and circumstances for this are anything but conventional and convenient, and they’re definitely setting themselves under the danger of a possible heartbreak. But that’s what any type of relationship really is in the end, isn’t it? Taking a risk.

“Okay”, Mark whispers. He still has his guards up a bit and probably will for some time, but he lets a shy smile appear onto his face and the irresistible twinkle, that Donghyuck loves, is coming back to his eyes again.

Donghyuck leans closer and presses a soft kiss on Mark’s lips, “We will work this out”, he then whispers, not a single doubt in his voice or mind.

Mark nods. Then he suddenly lets go of his umbrella and takes Donghyuck’s hands in his, intertwining their fingers. The umbrella plops down on the ground behind them and the heavy rain starts soaking them immediately. Donghyuck lets out a laugh, he knows Mark didn’t do it accidentally in the ecstasy of the situation. It was definitely intentional. Mark grins and then captures Donghyuck’s lips for another kiss.

The sky is thundering above them and the rain doesn’t show signs of subsiding any time soon. Mark’s lips are soft and warm on Donghyuck’s, as the water gets them both completely soaked in the matter of minutes. When they break the kiss, Donghyuck releases one of his hand from Mark’s, and lightly swipes the older’s soaked bangs, that are falling dangerously close to his eyes, to the side from his forehead.

They will work this out.

  
~~~~~

  
**One year, three months and two weeks later**

  
Donghyuck looks out of the airplane’s tiny window. They are in the middle of the landing; the plane is steadily approaching the ground. Donghyuck can feel the pressure in his ears, it’s uncomfortable but luckily not painful this time.

Donghyuck stares at the miniature-looking buildings and thinks about the past year and three months. It hasn’t been the easiest, but it’s definitely been the best time of his life.

Up until now, he and Mark have been in a long-distance relationship. As much as Donghyuck would have liked it, he couldn’t just immediately run off to a new country, he has had matters to care of first. And despite being a bit crazy, he and Mark both knew that they should really get to know each other properly before carrying out some drastic decisions.

So, that’s what they’ve been doing. Getting to know each other, seeing how they work as a couple, figuring out their feelings, and also getting to know themselves better in the process. They’ve been texting, calling and facetiming every day. It’s become a habit that they have a video call on whenever they’re both in their homes. It’s almost like having the other person there with you.

Donghyuck has been visiting Mark once every few months, a week or two at a time. They’ve both been constantly saving up every extra penny from their small paychecks to be able to buy the plane tickets for the younger. The time spent apart feels always worth it when they’re finally physically together.

But as said, it hasn’t always been the easiest. Donghyuck has had to learn how to be in a long-distance relationship and Mark has had to learn how to be in a relationship in the first place. The older has had his freak-outs regularly, but luckily Donghyuck knows how to handle those. He doesn’t have to worry about it too much, because outside of those moments, Mark makes it very clear that he wants to be with Donghyuck.

All in all, Donghyuck has realized that Mark isn’t exactly the most stable person out there, but he would never trade the other for anyone or anything ever. What started during the vacation back then as an attraction and an immediate infatuation, has now morphed into real love. And the fact that they’ve gotten through all of this together, proves that they really are meant to be.

When the wheels of the plane finally hit the landing strip, the anticipation running through Donghyuck’s veins ten folds immediately. He can hardly stay on his seat until the plane has stopped moving and the seatbelt lights have been turned off. He knows it’s very much useless to hurry out of the plane because his bags won’t come any faster, were he to stand by the baggage claim as soon as possible or not. But he stills borderline runs there.

Donghyuck takes one of those luggage trollies, since he has three huge suitcases to soon move around. He took with him only the absolute necessities and the things he couldn’t give away. All his other stuff he’s been selling away during the last couple of months.

After what feels like forever, Donghyuck finally gets to pick his suitcases from the moving baggage carousel. He lifts them to the trolley and then pushes the heavy load into moving. He heads towards the exit signs.

Donghyuck walks through the doors out of the reclaim area and into the lobby of some sorts where people can wait for their friends and family to come from flights. Donghyuck immediately scans his eyes over the area.

It doesn’t take long for him to spot the familiar black hair and high cheekbones. An indescribable happiness bubbles inside Donghyuck. It’s been over three months since the last time he saw Mark in person.

They lock eyes and Donghyuck just straight up abandons his trolleys, not really even caring if somebody decides to steal them, and runs towards Mark. He crashes into him and wraps his arms behind the older’s neck. Mark’s arms wrap around Donghyuck’s waist, hugging him what has to be the tightest anyone has ever hugged Donghyuck.

“Hey”, Donghyuck whispers to Mark’s ear. The comfort and happiness can be heard in his voice, as he gets filled with the feeling of being home now that he’s on Mark’s arms.

“Hi”, Mark breathes out, almost like overwhelmed, “I’ve missed you”

“And I've missed you like crazy”, Donghyuck says and detaches himself a little from the older. Then he leans to give a quick peck on Mark’s lips. He’d like to do a lot more than that, but they are in a busy public place, so it has to still wait for a while.

They get Donghyuck’s luggage and then exit the airport. The ever so warm and humid air hits Donghyuck like a hammer when he steps out of the air-conditioned building. But at this point, he’s pretty much learned to love it.

They get into a taxi and Mark gives the address to the driver. The guy plays some soft music from the radio and they keep the windows down. Donghyuck has his one hand on Mark’s, their fingers interlaced, as he looks at the scenery outside.

Donghyuck can’t almost believe this is finally true. That after being apart for so much, only seeing each other in person once every few months, usually only a week at a time and then having to part again, he’s now really here with Mark. This time permanently.

The taxi pulls up in front of the apartment building and the boys get out. Mark pays to the driver and then the guy is off continuing his workday. Mark and Donghyuck take Donghyuck’s suitcases and drag them to the fifth floor by the stairs. The building doesn’t have an elevator.

After catching his breath, Mark opens the door and they step inside Mark’s-, no, _their_ apartment. When the door clicks shut behind them, there’s a few seconds of almost confused silence, before the realization really kicks in. This is _true_.

Mark suddenly pulls Donghyuck to another bone-crushing hug, “You’re really finally here”, he breathes out, marveling at the words. Donghyuck lets out a laugh, a really relieved and happy one.

“Yeah, I really am”, he says. Mark releases him enough so that they can look at each other properly. Donghyuck looks at Mark’s eyes that are shining and the smile that lights up his whole face. He knows there must be identical expression on his own face.

Mark lifts his hand on Donghyuck’s nape and finally pulls the younger to a proper kiss. Donghyuck has missed a lot of things, but he would be lying if he said he hadn’t missed especially this. Now that they’re finally out of anyone’s sight, they can deepen the kiss. Donghyuck slips his tongue to Mark’s mouth, moving it the way he knows the older likes it. Mark lets his fingers play with the ends of Donghyuck’s hair on the back of his head.

“You know”, Donghyuck starts with a fake nonchalant voice when they pull apart, “It wouldn’t be too bad if these suitcases didn’t get unpacked immediately, right?” his hands that have been on Mark’s hips, now move to fiddle with the hem of the older’s shirt.

Mark gets the message immediately. He leaves a quick kiss on the side of Donghyuck’s neck and then grins and says, “These suitcases can wait until tomorrow for all I care”

Donghyuck leans so close to Mark’s face that their lips are almost brushing against each other, and whispers, “Good”. Then he steals another kiss from the older, before grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the bedroom.

Mark kicks the bedroom door closed after them.

  
~~~~~

  
**Two years, one month and three weeks later**

  
The clock is reaching midnight, it’s completely dark outside but it’s almost just as hot as it was during the day. The only relief comes from the fact that the sun isn’t shining on top of the always present hotness. The city is quieter than usually, it’s not the biggest tourist season right at the moment after all. The night reminds Donghyuck of the first time he and Mark met. Which is perfect.

He and Mark are strolling along the streets. For Mark it appears as any other night they’ve decided to go for a walk, but Donghyuck instead has specific plans in his mind. They are just about to reach the square where the fountain is. When they do, Donghyuck nudges his head towards the fountain, gesturing that he wants to go there. Mark doesn’t think anything of it, he just follows the younger.

Donghyuck’s heart is starting to beat like crazy, but he isn’t going to back out now. He has been wanting to do this for a long time already and this night seems to be pretty perfect. He walks up to the fountain and stops right next to it. Mark does the same a heartbeat later and then gives Donghyuck a questioning look.

Donghyuck smiles at him, sits on the edge of the fountain and then flings his legs over it and into the water. Mark’s face brightens up immediately and he lets out a laugh.

“What are you doing? I thought it was my job to get us to do stupid things in the middle of the night”, the older says, his smile evident even in his voice.

“It is, and I’m counting on you to keep doing it. This is just one exception. Come on”, Donghyuck smiles and motions Mark to join him in the fountain. Mark, being Mark, doesn’t need any persuasion, but instead just follows the younger. Soon they are both mid-thigh-deep in the cold water.

“Are we finally going to steal these coins?” Mark asks, his eyes lighting up with excitement. Donghyuck laughs loudly. It eases up the nervousness inside of him a bit.

“No, we’re still not stealing anybody’s wishes”, Donghyuck says, “I actually have something I want to ask you. And I thought this would be a perfect place to do it”

“Oh, okay”, Mark says and his demeanor switches to more serious. He must be starting to sense the nervousness that emanates from Donghyuck. He settles to wait for the younger to continue.

Donghyuck has been thinking through what he wants to do, where he wants to do it, how he wants to do it and especially what he wants to say when doing it. But in the end, he decided he’s just going to go with the flow when the time comes and say what feels right at that moment.

Donghyuck takes a step closer to Mark and then reaches to take the older’s hands in his. Then he lifts his gaze to Mark’s deep, dark-brown eyes.

“Mark, I love you”, Donghyuck starts, “Ever since the first time I saw you, I knew I had met someone I would never want to let go of. I’m sure you remember the night we met. We came here, you sat on the edge of this fountain, grinned at me and then flung yourself into the water. Then you asked me if I was going to come too. You know what my first thought was? That I could never say no to you and would probably even jump off a cliff if you asked me to. It still holds by the way. I was so inexplicably drawn to you from the very first moment and I still am.

Mark, you make me so, so happy. There’s no one else in this world I would ever want to be with, I only want you. You and I, we have really grown and learned together, haven’t we? We’ve gone through a lot of things and I really want to keep going through things with you in the future as well. And I know you don’t believe in that stuff, but I still truly believe-, no actually that’s a wrong word for it-, I truly _know_ that you are my soulmate”, Donghyuck detaches one of his hands from Mark’s and reaches to take something from his pocket. It’s a simple golden ring. He lifts it to Mark to see.

“So, Mark, will you marry me?”

Donghyuck settles to wait for Mark’s answer. He looks at the wide collection of emotions that flash through the older’s features. It starts with shock that soon subsides to surprise. Then the surprise gets replaced by disbelief that morphs into fear a moment later. It stays in the fear a bit longer than Donghyuck would like to see, but then eventually starts to change into pure happiness.

Mark’s face breaks into a breathtakingly beautiful smile and his eyes get filled with tears of happiness.

“Yes”

That’s all Donghyuck needs to hear. He raises Mark’s left hand closer to him and pushes the ring to his ring finger. It fits perfectly. Then he lifts his gaze back to Mark’s tear-filled eyes. They seem to be twinkling more than ever before.

Donghyuck can hardly believe that this person is really his.

Mark takes a small step even closer to Donghyuck and gives a kiss on the younger’s lips, “I love you”, he then whispers. Donghyuck smiles, he’s never felt this content in his life before.

“And also Donghyuck, I, too, know that you are my soulmate”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope that you liked it ♡


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